We Are Alive Magazine September 2012

editor-in-chief Keerthana Byreddy

front and back covers Gabrielle Angeline photography

adjacent page Marta Syrko

page four Corinne Perry

page eight Lucia Moretti all inquires: [email protected] Blog: wearealivemag.tumblr.com facebook: We Are Alive Magazine twitter: @WeAreAliveMag © We Are Alive Magazine 2012 All Rights Reserved

credits

06 Letter from the Editor

08 Cover Feature: Gabrielle Angeline

22 Feature: Olga Valeska

36 Feature: Corinne Perry

48 Feature: Jannah Velma Noir

56 Photography Series: Scrambling Noon

68 Feature: Lucia Moretti

84 Photography Series: Jessica Nguyen

contents

To the lover, creators, & dreamers:

As the summer ends, and the fall starts, many things end, but many things

begin. The leaves start to change their colors, gracing us with the richest of

yellows, oranges, and reds. A soft chill begins to grace the air, and the night

starts to roll in. Not to mention of course school.

Fall is not terrible however. It is a beautiful time of year, full of wonder and

change. This issue tries to show off both of those ideas: wonder and change.

I’m certain you will delight in these artists and their beautiful work.

Hope, Love, and Dreams

Keerthana

Gabrielle

Angeline

Gabrielle

Angeline

Can you tell me a little bit about

yourself?

I'm 16, turning 17 in October this

year. Apart from photography, I re-

ally love playing softball, tennis and

guitar. I frequently hike or go on

long walks, and I love writing

(letters especially). I'm of Chinese,

Irish, Lebanese and Filipino de-

scent, and I currently reside in

Hong Kong.

How did you first start out taking

photographs?

It's a funny story, actually. I re-

ceived my first basic DSLR about 2

to 2 1/2 years ago, with a kit lens

(18-55mm). Around September of

2010, I broke the kit lens by acci-

dent. I wasn't really into photog-

raphy around then so I didn't think

much of it, but my dad got me a

cheaper lens (a 50mm f/1.8) at

around Christmastime of the same

year, warning me not to break that

lens too. I decided to try it out and

I ended up loving the lens and I

loved the way my photos were

coming out. That was really the

starting point for my photography,

because I began to shoot all the

time after that.

What do you try to show through

your photographs?

Rawness of emotion. At first I was-

n't entirely sure what people saw in

my photographs, but after asking

around, a lot of people said there's

an expressiveness and a ingenuity

with my models. Personally, I love

seeing when photographers can

express that in their photos, too. I

love seeing real emotions instead

of just a stony expression. A per-

son's facial expression alone can

really tell a story.

Who inspires you? Why?

Many people! In terms of photogra-

phers, I really love Cat Lane, Julia

Trotti, Nirrimi (but who doesn't?),

Annie Leibovitz, Akif Hakan Celebi,

and Steven Meisel. But aside from

them, I am also inspired by Meryl

Streep, Julie Andrews, Audrey Hep-

burn, Marilyn Monroe and Art

House films.

The photographers each have their

own uniqueness that I have found

myself very drawn to. Some are

young, like Cat and Julia and Nirri-

mi, yet they have accomplished so

much and they have proven that no

matter what age you begin taking

pictures, you can take beautiful

ones and you CAN find success.

Others like Leibovitz and Celebi

and Mr. Meisel have accomplished

so much already in all their years

that they have their own styles that

are so unique and ultimately their

own.

The actresses I mentioned inspire

me differently. Women like Meryl

Streep and Julie Andrews started

out young, and have really made

something of themselves while

maintaining their poise and values.

That is something I will always re-

spect and look up to: strong wom-

en. Meanwhile, Hepburn and Mon-

roe are simply two of history's

most stunning and talented women

- they had so much wisdom and

talent to offer people and they did

not take it for granted.

Art House films are probably the

one genre of film that I can sit

through no matter what. They al-

ways have these wonderful themes

of young souls who go out into the

world and live their lives the way

they want. They don't care who

tries to bring them down, they just

do what their hearts tell them and

go where their lives carry them. It's

beautiful to watch and it puts this

warm, fuzzy feeling in my heart.

What have you already achieved as

a photographer and what more

would you like to achieve?

I've had a few of my pictures ap-

pear in the newspaper, magazines

and on PhotoVogue, and I've been

approached numerous times by

small companies and student de-

signers who want to collaborate

and who love my work. I've already

managed to make my photography

into a little business, earning small

cash to buy my own equipment.

I haven't told many people this, but

it's honestly my biggest dream to

become a working photographer

for National Geographic. I know my

work right now doesn't really em-

body what they normally 'do', but I

would give so much to travel the

world, meet amazing people and

take pictures that can really tell

stories, and record documentaries

for them too.

How long have you been shooting,

and how do you think your work

has changed since then?

Only for about a year and a half.

And oh yes, my work has definitely

progressed since I began taking

pictures. I've improved both in my

processing and just in coming up

with newer, more creative themes

and concepts. I've become a lot

more bold with the ideas that I try.

For example, now I go out and

make the effort to find horses to

shoot with, or I go buy supplies and

make my own headdresses and

other props for my models to wear.

I try to go the extra mile now to

make my pictures better and more

presentable.

How has being a photographer im-

pacted your life and/or personali-

ty?

A few years back, I wasn't satisfied

with my life at all. I wasn't very

happy in school. I wasn't nice to

people and some people weren't

nice to me. I was very depressed

and very angry all the time, and

photography proved to be a very

healthy outlet for me. I began no-

ticing that with the amount of time

and effort I put into it, the less an-

ger and sadness I felt. Photography

has, in a sense, saved me from my-

self, if that makes sense. I found

something in my life that makes

sense to me for a change, and it

makes me feel secure. I take pic-

tures because it brings me the

greatest joy knowing that I can cre-

ate beautiful things, and that is

something that nobody can EVER

take away from me.

What is your favorite music/

movie/book? Why?

I like a lot of underground music

that people have seldom heard of.

Of course I love some of the more

well-known stuff too; bands like

Stars and Death Cab for Cutie. I

have recently submersed myself in a

lot of music with lyrics that I can

connect with on a personal level. My

absolute favorite song though is

probably a tie between Your Ex-Lover

is Dead by Stars, and Hoppípolla by

Sigur Ros. Both are quite different

both in mood, lyrics and even lan-

guage, but they both are so beautiful

to listen to.

What else would you like to achieve

that isn't photography related?

Perhaps writing a book, or learning

how to ballroom dance like a pro-

fessional. That would be wonderful.

Any other random things about

yourself?

I can put my leg behind my head,

wanna see? :) //

Can you tell me a little bit about yourself?

I’m 21 years old, I live in France and as a

passionate person, I’ve got a lot of hobbies. I

like creating costumes, reading, writing,

painting, drawing, sculpting, decorating,

building huts, playing, dreaming, thinking,

climbing trees, being in nature… and so

many others things!


photographs?

I discovered photography three or

four years ago. But at first I was

not interested in it that much. I

had never imagined or dreamed of

being a photographer. The tech-

nical aspect bothered me and it

seemed that one could not be as

creative as in drawing, painting or

sculpting. I did not see the interest

of transcribe this reality that did

not satisfy me in image. And then

one day I realized, belatedly, that I

could invent my own set scenes,

shoot my own pictures. So it has

only been a year since I really

started photography.


your photographs?

Actually, I do not really want to

show something, nor to convey a

message. I need to do all these

things without really knowing why.

But there has always been in my

head a whole universe, and I feel

the need to keep it alive. With the

photograph, including the self-

portrait, I feel I can immortalize

moments of dreams, I can really

travel in my world and I can believe

that all these things are true. Fi-

nally, there is some form of exor-

cism in some pictures: everything

that torments me, my thoughts, my

existential questions, I pour them

into the photos, like an outlet.


There are no real people in partic-

ular and even fewer photographers

who inspire me. It's pretty selfish

but I try to stay as close to myself

as possible, to go further in my

own world. But of course I am

nourished by everything I've read

or seen since I was little. I had an

education both strict and whimsi-

cal. My parents have given me the

desire to excel, to create by myself,

to be innovative. At home there

was no television, and everything

was very “traditional”. So I spent

my childhood immersed in my im-

agination, novels and art books.

Artists who have marked me are

painters, poets, writers, musicians,

philosophers, heroes from fairy ta-

les and legends, historical figures,

Gods ...

What have you already achieved

as a photographer and what more


For now, it does not seem to me

that I have accomplished much,

and that's just what makes me

want to continue. There are so

many dreams in me that I feel a

lifetime would not be enough to

achieve them. And I have so many

projects every day ... It would take

too long to explain!




So it's been one year since I do

photography regularly and it be-

came a profession. What has rad-

ically changed is that now I impro-

vise a lot less and I make photo-

graphs often depending on the

final result. And finally, I somehow

regret my beginnings: I invented

stories, I was playing all alone ...

Taking pictures was finally an ex-

cuse, what was the most im-

portant was to dream. Now pho-

tography is my profession and I

am more exposed: my photos are

viewed by others, my face, my

dreams ... Being a very secretive

person, it feels like a form of in-

trusion into my own world. And I

miss this time of real dreams and

complete solitude.

How has being a photographer

impacted your life and/or per-

sonality?

I think that I have not changed

more than that. I've always been a

very creative person, and I try my

hand at everything. Also I do not

consider myself especially as a

photographer. What I like to do is

create worlds, moods, images ...

But photography allows me to be

more comfortable in this reality,

living the dream fully, which I

could not do with other forms of

art.//


yourself ?

I’m twenty two years of age. Other

than photography, my hobbies are

reading, as my photography is of-

ten influenced by literature.


photographs?

I first started taking photographs

as part of a College course. At the

start, I would take a range of sub-

jects and had little idea of the di-

rection my work was heading.

Then about two years ago, I start-

ed taking self-portraits and using

entirely analogue methods of pro-

ducing my work and that’s how it

all started really.


your photographs?

I aim to portray to the viewer how

I’m feeling at that exact moment in

which the image was created.


I

am inspired by strong women,

who portray their emotions through

their self-portraiture work, such as

the painter Frida Kahlo and the

photographer Francesca Wood-

man.




I feel that I’m right at the beginning

of my photographic journey and

still have so much more to hope-

fully achieve. So far, I have devel-

oped a style of photography which

I have a strong emotional bond to,

and that I hope, is relatively unique

to me. My work has started to be

exhibited and I hope to continue

with this path. Also I have just

achieved a 1st Class Honours De-

gree at University. There is so

much more I hope to achieve I feel

there is so much more for me to

learn.




I have been taking photographs for

a few years now, but feel that two

years ago my work really changed,

when I turned the camera on my-

self. For the first three years of my pho-

tography study at College and University, I

used digital, as this was what everyone

else was doing. Then one day, I fell in love

with film and decided that that was the di-

rection for me.

How has being a photographer impacted

your life and/or personality?

I think that photography is my life and it

impacts it a lot, as I portray my emotions

through my work.

What is your favorite music/movie/book?

Why?

My favourite book is The Yellow Wallpaper

by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, which tells

the story of a woman’s decent into mad-

ness, despite the fact that it’s not so much

of a happy story that fills the reader with

joy. It is so beautifully written and really

inspires my photography.

What else would you like to achieve that

isn't photography related?

Other than photography, I hope to one

day become a mother. //


yourself (age, other hobbies, etc.)?

This is Jan, everyone calls me Jan-

nah Velma Noir, but my real name

is actually Janet Fung. I am an 19-

year-old photographer based in

Hong Kong who is mainly doing in

Portrait, fashion and street style

photography. I am not a photog-

raphy student. But currently stud-

ying Bilingual(Chinese and English)

and Literature.


photographs?

I picked photography as my per-

sonal interest since 16 when my

parents brought the family camera.

Ever we have any events or func-

tions for our family, I’ll be the one

who is going to caption every

beautiful moment. Inspired by Lara

Jade, I start doing fashion portrait

photography last year.


your photographs?

Photography is a way for me to re-

duce my pressure from life. So I

express different feelings/

thoughts from my work: sad, hap-

py, angry, etc. I hope people could

see the natural beauty and feel the

peace of this world through my

works


A lot! Everyone and everything

could inspire me in life!




I am glad that I have started to put

my works online, letting more peo-

ple to see my works. This little ac-

tion brings me to meet more cool

people in this industry. Nothing is

more fun than meeting people with

similar interests.




For Portriat photography, I have

already started almost a year. I

think I am puting more and more

emotions/ meanings into the pho-

tography and make it more mean-

ingful.


pacted your life and/or personali-

ty?

I am the kind of person that not

good to express myself. As I have

mentioned, Photography is a way

for me to reduce my pressure from

life. So I express different feel-

ings/ thoughts by photography.

Also, fahsion photography is a

team work, I have learned to com-

municate with people and get

along with them well.

What is your favorite music/

movie/book? Why?

Proud and Prejudice. It is romanti-

cally showing what is human-being,

full of imagination.

What else would you like to

achieve that isn't photography re-

lated?

Language.

Any other random things about

yourself?

I am easy-going, cheerful and ran-

dom person! If you meet me in the

future, please lemme know more

about you! //

Photography by Jannah Velma Noir Model: Vincent & Tasha & Julia Make Up Artist: Rikki Chanyeeki Hair Stylist: Vincent Hin Long Stylist: April Wong & Wingman Yeung

Lucia

Moretti


yourself?

My name is Lucia. I am a 25 year

old photographer from Switzerland.

I studied cultural anthropology at

the University of Zurich and re-

ceived my Bachelor degree, but felt

in love with photography mean-

while; therefore I haven’t done the

Master degree and carried on this

way [with photography].

How did you first start out with

photography?

About 4 years ago, more or less. I

always used to shoot moments with

my little point-and-shoot camera, to

preserve memories. But I consid-

ered photography as an artistic tool

only later, at 21. My passion started

by seeing amazing pictures taken

by great artists from all around the

world on deviantart. It took me 2

years to join this amazing website

and share my own pictures. I never

felt good enough and I was too

shy.

The reason I started taking pictures

is because I wanted to take the kind

of images that lets the viewers be

inspired and caught up in this par-

allel world called photography. I

feel so good when I see amazing

images; I don’t think about doing

anything else and I only have posi-

tive emotions. This is why I love it,

and what I want to share [with eve-

ryone].

What kind of feelings do you try to

show through your photographs?

All kind of positive feelings. I try to

show all the beautiful things we

have in our world.


I guess Nirrimi and Tim Walker.

Both have introduced emotions in

to the fashion world. I love Tim

Walker’s fairy tales, and Nirrimi’s

lovely world. I’m also inspired by

other photographers from devi-

antart, flickr, blogspot and face-

(Continued on page 72)

book and course by my own emo-

tions.

What have you already achieved

as a photographer and what more


The best things are when I get

messages from people I don’t

know that say they love my pic-

tures and ask for suggestions. I

hope it will never stop; I love help-

ing other people and sharing what

I know. Photographers should col-

laborate. Besides that, I worked

this year with Camille Bloch

(Ragusa) a Swiss famous choco-

late company, I’m testing with two

model agencies in Zurich, and I got

few publications. I hope I will be

able to be a fulltime photographer

one day.

How long have you been shooting

and how do your think your work


I’ve been shooting for four years

now. I thing my work has changed

quite a lot technically speaking.

But the feeling I have while taking

a picture is unchanged. I always

feel thrilled.


pacted your life and/or your per-

sonality?

Well, first of all, it changed my way

of seeing the world. Since I first

discovered photography it is like

I’m constantly looking through a

camera. Each time I’m around I

see places where I can shoot, I see

interesting light, beautiful models,

and so on. Everything, everyplace

inspires me with new images. At

the beginning was a different way

of seeing, now it is just part of me,

looking at the world in this way.

Secondly it helped me a lot in

connecting with other people. I

was solitary and shy, now I always

am, but not more that much.

What are your favorite music,

movies , books? Why?

It usually changes with the time.

My favorite song is “Where I Love”

by Nadine Carina; favorite book,

(Continued on page 74)

The Never Ending Story by Michael

Ende; and favorite movies are all of

Disney’s. They have all given me hap-

piness.

What else would you like to achieve

that isn't photography related?

That’s interesting! And I haven’t

thought about something different

than photography. I’m not sure.

Any other random things about your-

self?

I love cats. :)

Gia An (Jessica) Nguyen

Gia An (Jessica) Nguyen

Documents

We Are Alive Magazine September 2012